A measurement system for determining radiation efficiency of a small antenna

Kabacik, P., Byndas, A., Hossa, R. and Bialkowski, M. E. (2006). A measurement system for determining radiation efficiency of a small antenna. In: H. Lacoste and L.Ouwehand, Proceedings of the European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EuCAP 2006). The European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EuCAP 2006), Nice, France, (). 6-10 November, 2006.

The paper describes a system for measuring radiation efficiency of a small antenna operating alone or in the presence of objects similar to those as in an actual service. The system applies the direct approach to determining the antenna efficiency by measuring the radiated field over the entire sphere surrounding the tested antenna. In order to overcome problems associated with the conventional measuring equipment, the antenna under test is equipped with a miniature built-in VCO signal generator and supported by a low reflectivity dielectric positioner. The positioner is of sufficient size and strength to hold a human head phantom to investigate changes in radiation characteristics when the antenna operates in the presence of a human operator.